AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department (AHHD) Education and Skills Development Division (AHHD1)

Avenue Jean-Paul II, 01 BP 1387 Abidjan 01, Côte d’Ivoire

E-mail: [email protected] and [email protected]

RECRUITMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST CONSULTANT

 

The Bank’s Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department (AHHD) plays a key role in achieving the Bank’s High 5 strategic priorities, in particular Improving the Quality of Life of People in Africa. Within AHHD is the Education and Skills Development Division (AHHD1), which focuses on scaling up the Bank’s support to education, human capital and skills development. The Division is leading a number of special initiatives that aim to strengthen vocational and higher education systems. It also works to enhance education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, entrepreneurship and innovation, with the ultimate goal of increasing access to decent jobs for young Africans.

AHHD1 is seeking an individual Communication Consultant whose main role will be to manage all its internal and external communication and to ensure that the Division’s communication products and stakeholder engagement efforts are of a high standard.

The outlined roles and responsibilities for this position include:

  • Raising the profile and visibility of AHHD1’s analytical work, program/project related activities, events, partnerships, among others, to facilitate knowledge building and sharing.
  • Leading the writing, preparation, production and dissemination of both routine and complex outreach products, including, but not limited to briefing notes, blogs, op-eds, articles, talking points, scripts for PowerPoint presentations etc.
  • Leading the production of innovative and contemporary digital storytelling
  • Leading the organization of internal and external events such as conferences/seminars, business development and resource mobilization meetings, etc.
  • Supporting and leading the (editorial) coverage of events, projects, programmes, initiatives as well as drafting success stories for internal and external sharing.
  • Maintaining effective relationships with external partners, including peer development partners, civil society organizations, private for profits, academia, government counterparts and the media.
  • Managing all the division’s social media platforms.
  • Leading the development of customized infographics and other creative outputs, including brochures/notebooks, event banners, videos and animations.
  • Modern and appropriate filing, archiving of related photos, video and press contacts to databases managed by the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex, as well as the Bank’s communications department.
  • Undertaking any other related tasks as requested by the Division Manager.

The position is open to nationals of member countries of the African Development Bank Group. Interested candidates are hereby invited to express their interest for this position, clearly outlining their qualifications and experience, including sharing their CVs and samples of communications and/or multimedia material such as past event management campaigns, noting level of involvement and event impact; samples of past communications materials, including articles, press releases, Op-Eds, videos, social media posts, project impact stories, etc.

The required qualifications and expertise are defined in the TORs.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted and asked to participate in a skills assessment exercise and timed writing test.

Only individual communications and media consultants will be considered for this Expression of Interest, not firms.

The eligibility criteria, shortlisting and selection procedure shall be in accordance with the Bank’s Procurement Policy for Recruitment of Corporate Consultants. The shortlisted candidates will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

  1. General qualifications and adequacy for the assignment to be undertaken (35%);
  2. Similar experience in the area of expertise of the assignment and understanding of TORs (45%);
  3. Experience with the Bank and/or multilateral donors (5%);
  4. Language proficiency (5%) (v) and knowledge of assignment environment (10%).

Please note that an expression of interest by an individual does not imply any obligation on the part of the Bank to include an applicant in the shortlist.

The duration of service is 12 months and the estimated starting date is 1 July 2021.

Interested communication consultants may obtain further information through the email address below.

Expressions of interest must be submitted or sent by e-mail to the address below by 18 June 2021 at 11:59 PM (GMT), specifically mentioning “Expression of interest for Communication, Media & Advertising Individual Consultant”. For the attention of:

Mr. Fredrick Wamalwa and Ms. Keiko Takei.

Human Capital Youth and Skills Development Department African Development Bank

Avenue Jean-Paul II, 01 BP 1387 Abidjan, Ivory Coast

E-mail: [email protected]  and [email protected]

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

TERMS OF REFERENCE

RECRUITMENT OF AN INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION CONSULTANT

HUMAN CAPITAL YOUTH AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT (AHHD)

EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT DIVISION (AHHD1)

  1. Background

The Bank: The African Development Bank, a premier pan-African development institution, with a membership of 81 states, aims to promote economic and social progress in Africa, through financial and technical support to member countries. The Bank’s work is aimed at reducing poverty through inclusive and sustainable growth. The Bank is also Africa’s voice on global economic, financial and development issues, a role that has taken significant importance considering increasing global integration and interconnected risks. Toward this end, the Bank is currently implementing the Ten Year Strategy (TYS) 2013 – 2022 by focusing on five priority areas, referred to as the High 5s, namely; energy, agro-business, industrialization, integration and improving the quality of life for the people of Africa.

The Complex: The Vice Presidency for Agriculture, Human, and Social Development (AHVP) is a Sector Complex focusing on two of the Bank’s High 5s priorities of “Feed Africa” and “Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa”. The complex objectives are (i) to develop policy and strategy; (ii) provide deep sector expertise to the regions by gathering pools of experienced individuals who can be consulted to provide sector expertise on complex transactions; (iii) develop new financing instruments; (iv) represent the Bank in external stakeholders engagements on aspects of “Feed Africa” and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa”.

The Hiring Department: Within the AHVP Complex is the Human Capital, Youth and Skills Development Department (AHHD) which leads the Bank’s efforts to enhance human capital for Africa’s economic transformation.

The Position: AHHD.1 is seeking an individual Communication Consultant whose main role will be to manage all its internal and external communication. The person will lead the planning, designing and execution of the Division’s communication activities. He/she will ensure that the Division’s communication products and stakeholder engagement efforts are of a high standard.

  1. Scope of work

The person will report to the Manager – AHHD.1, in coordination with the AHVP Front Office, and works under the guidance of the Bank’s Communication and External Relations Department (PECR). The successful candidate will also work in collaboration with a cross-section of colleagues in the Bank. The roles and responsibilities for this assignment include the following:

  • Raising the profile and visibility of AHHD1 analytical work, program/project-related activities, events, partnerships, among others, to facilitate knowledge building and sharing.
  • Leading the writing, preparation, production and dissemination of both routine and complex outreach products, including but not limited to, briefing notes, blogs, op-eds, articles, talking points, scripts for PowerPoint presentations, etc.
  • Leading the production of innovative and contemporary digital storytelling.
  • Leading the organization of internal and external events such as conferences/seminars, business development and resource mobilization meetings, etc.
  • Supporting and leading the coverage of events, projects, programmes, initiatives as well as drafting success stories for internal and external sharing.
  • Leading the support for stakeholder engagement around the Action Plan for Strengthening Skills for a Productive Workforce in Africa.
  • Maintaining effective relationships with external partners, including peer development partners, civil society organizations, private for profits, academia, government counterparts and the media.
  • Managing social media platforms, including modifying communication strategies and products to leverage innovative communication tools and channels.
  • Leading the development of customized infographics and other creative outputs, including brochures/notebooks, event banners, videos and animations.
  • Modern and appropriate archiving of related photos, video and press contacts to databases managed by the Agriculture, Human and Social Development Complex, as well as PCER.
  • Undertaking any other related tasks as requested and directed by the Division Manager or the Director – AHHD.
  1. Duration of the assignment and Location

The consultancy is scheduled for a period of 12 months, expected to start 1 July 2021, with the possibility of further renewal, based on satisfactory performance, relevant rules and budget availability.

The duty station for this assignment is the African Development Bank Headquarters in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; it may however be remotely based as long as Covid-19-related travel restrictions apply and Bank staff work from home. The successful candidate will have to secure reliable technology and network connection to smoothly implement her/his duties virtually.

  1. Required competencies
  • A Master’s degree in communications, international relations/public affairs, journalism, political science or related disciplines with a minimum of 5-year professional experience in communications, especially in an international multicultural development set-up.
  • Excellent writing, communication and presentation skills.
  • Ability to speak and write in English or French, with strong working knowledge of the other language and the ability to convey complex ideas in a creative, clear, and effective manner.
  • Excellent organizational and administrative skills, including the ability to manage competing tasks, work under pressure and meet tight deadlines with very minimal supervision.
  • Strong conceptual and research/analytical skills with the ability to strategically and rapidly analyze and integrate diverse information from varied sources into high-quality products such as policy briefs, briefing notes etc.
  • Demonstrated ability to strategize, plan, and implement the development and maintenance of relationships with critical internal and/or external stakeholders.
  • Understanding of the newsgathering process.
  • Knowledge of social media platforms (Twitter, Periscope, LinkedIn, etc.)
  • Ability to work under tight deadlines, as well as contribute to a futures planning calendar with a team of communications specialists.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage the design, printing, and distribution of high-quality publications.
  • Experience in communication and media relations, media campaigns and promotional material development.
  • Excellent computer skills (key Microsoft applications as well as publishing software) and the ability to use information technology as a tool for project management.
  • The ability to use modern audio-visual techniques and communications tools.
  • Experience in using a wide range of communication tools in print, broadcasting, electronic and traditional media as well as public relations.
  • Well-developed skills in managing websites, ensuring high-quality content, and using them to promote external and internal communications.
  • Strong understanding and experience with digital content and social media analytics.
  • Familiarity with graphic design platforms like Canva, Adobe Edit Suite and video editing is an added advantage.
  1. Submission requirements

The position is open to nationals of one of the Member Countries of the African Development Bank Group. Interested candidates are hereby invited to express their interest in this position, clearly outlining their qualifications and experience, including sharing their CVs and recent samples of communications and/or multimedia material such as past event management campaigns, articles, press releases, Op-Eds, videos, social media posts, project impact stories etc, noting level of involvement and communication/brand impact. Samples of past work to be no more than three years old. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted and will be asked to participate in a skills assessment exercise, including a timed writing test.